Kaia Gerber: ‘My mom taught me to follow my instincts’

Kaia Gerber’s supermodel mother Cindy Crawford advised her not to “try to change” to fit the fashion industry.

The 16-year-old budding super, with her classic all-American girl looks, is well on her way in the fashion industry thanks to campaigns with Marc Jacobs Beauty, HudsonJeans and Miu Miu, and a coveted cover of French Vogue alongside her famous mother.

And in an interview with Teen Vogue magazine, the teenager credits her mother and businessman father Rande Gerber for steering her in the right direction by encouraging her to be herself.

“My parents have always taught me to be myself and to follow my instincts,” she tells Teen Vogue.

“They also say that you should never let what other people do affect what you want to do.
“It changes everything when you accept who you are and you don’t try to change yourself.”

Kaia enjoyed a down-to-earth upbringing in California enclave, Malibu, and certainly doesn’t fit the Hollywood wildchild stereotype that plagues many of the offspring of famous people.

While Kaia doesn’t have to look far for fashion role models in her own family, her handsome 18-year-old brother Presley is also wowing runways, surprisingly the catwalk star names another big name as her inspiration.

“I really look up to Karlie (Kloss),” Kaia smiles. “She’s broken all the rules of what a model should be and uses her platform to benefit others. All my icons I look up to as people, not just their work. ‘Iconic’ is not a word I use lightly. You have to earn it.”